From the Archives Part 3

Open Water Swimming

Lanes are gone

Walls, borders, corners

They’re gone too —

Nothing to flip out on

Bubbles burst on the surface

My imagination wobbles in rewind

To follow fears to the source:

Jellyfish dancing blindly

deciding to try something new

Every wave looks different,

But currents were never good guides

Could never trust the shadow ’cross my eyes

Forgotten which horizon to chase

It all looks the same

So in circles I swim

Again

“This is real life”

But no one’s taught to navigate

Less know how to swim

Anyway, what was taught has been rewritten

Strokes repositioned,

Posture realigned,

A kick recommitted,

And (this time) everything combined

My mouth met with water on a breath

And I inhaled.

I used to swallow chlorine,

Which may have been be worse for me...

Learning to relax and just breathe,

I think.

Flash-peeks of sun remind me

Of summer falters

When pools lengthen

Technique tested: RIP

Coach says, “take that piano off your back”

But I wanted to go fast

Here is more time

With that, less to carry,

But reasons to search for shore

Are not weightless

I am floating